CINCINNATI (WXIX) – State and local leaders came together Saturday afternoon to discuss data centers and their impact on Ohio communities.

Local leaders spoke about why they say the issue should be top of mind for Ohioans.

Community discussion brings together experts

Saturday’s data center community discussion brought together the Coalition for Responsible Development and the University of Cincinnati’s School of Environment and Sustainability. Experts and presenters explained what data centers are and raised concerns about their potential impact on local communities.

Casey Putsch, a candidate for Ohio governor, was among the speakers at Saturday’s data center discussion.

He said he wants people to understand what large-scale data centers could mean for communities, raising concerns about potential environmental and public health impacts.

“They’re here to take advantage of our electricity. They will skyrocket the cost for everybody… it’s going to take advantage of all of our fresh water — Lake Erie, the Ohio River, our aquifers, our streams and rivers — for cooling… with environmental concerns,” Putsch said.

Another focus was impacts to local economies.

Industry representatives address cost concerns

Industry representatives said data centers are looking to cover their costs.

“Data centers are committed to paying our full cost of service for electricity. We are working with regulators and utilities and grid operators throughout the country to ensure that we do that,” said a representative from DCC.

Despite the concerns, some local leaders said a data center project could bring economic growth.

Trenton City Manager Marcos Nichols said about 140 to 144 acres of land in the city was purchased last spring by the real estate company Prologis.

“It has the potential to be a great addition to our community… to continue the growth of our industrial park — and be a net positive for our community,” Nichols said.

Congressman introduces protective legislation

U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman said he has introduced two bills aimed at protecting communities from potential harms.

He said the proposals would require data centers to pay the full cost of their energy demand and infrastructure needs, direct environmental impact studies, and prohibit nondisclosure agreements for elected officials involved in data center projects.

Landsman said he is hearing concerns from residents.

“They’re very worried about the noise. They’re very worried about the cost — in terms of them getting tax cuts and their property tax bills going up as a result. They’re very worried about their utility bills… and they don’t like the NDAs and the fact that this is all happening behind closed doors,” Landsman said.

Landsman said he is committed to pushing these protections forward so communities are not left paying the price while data centers cover the full cost of their energy and infrastructure demands.

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